"Why did it take 17 years to find Cleveland airport concessionaire in arrears?"

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Opinion
Why did it take 17 years to find Cleveland airport concessionaire in
arrears? 
It took 17 years for Cleveland airport honchos to figure out that
well-entrenched concessionaire was a wee bit in arrears 
The Cleveland (OH) Plain Dealer


Oh, yeah, the taxes.

It took 17 years for Cleveland airport honchos to figure out that
well-entrenched concessionaire was a wee bit in arrears 

For a quarter-century, a single company has had a stranglehold on the
concessions contract at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. 

If Hopkins were known for its first-rate concessions, HMS Host's dominance
would be understandable. Trust us: That's hardly been the case, so there
must be some other explanation. 

The virtual monopoly HMS Host enjoys has been the subject of considerable
speculation, much of it centering on how those associated with HMS Host must
surely have used some influence with City Hall to hang onto the airport
contract for more than a generation. 

But no one could possibly have imagined that the city's generosity to HMS
Host would have extended to paying the company's property taxes for 17
years. 

Airport officials say that is exactly what happened: The city paid $5.4
million in property taxes for the 46,000 square feet of space HMS Host
occupies at the airport, but never bothered to bill the company. 

It was no secret during much of the 1990s that Hopkins was one of the
nation's worst-run airports, but how such a staggering amount could have
escaped the attention of city bookkeepers - over and over and over again -
until this year is just mind-numbing. 

A spokeswoman for HMS Host said the company is reviewing the tax-bill
documents. Meanwhile, Mayor Frank Jackson's airport team deserves credit for
discovering the unconscionable oversight and asking that the concessionaire
pay up. 

On balance, Ricky Smith has done an excellent job since becoming airport
director 14 months ago. Among the changes he has driven at Hopkins, Smith
has begun the process of expanding retail and food-service space - a plan
that includes hiring a development company to bring in concessions that are
more attractive. 

What Smith didn't know when he got the job was that it also entails being a
tax collector.

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